We’ve seen brewers put some pretty strange things into beer over the years, but we’ve gotta admit extra virgin olive oil is a new one for us, and in a non-alcoholic beer.

Here’s the deal.

Athletic Brewing has teamed up with Graza, the trendy olive oil brand that has become something of a foodie staple, on Cold Off The Press, a limited-release non-alcoholic Pils made with extra virgin olive oil.

And yes, we had questions, starting with the most obvious: why would anyone put olive oil in a beer?

And this is where things took a left turn we didn’t see coming. Turns out yeast needs certain nutrients, including fatty acids, to stay healthy during fermentation.

Brewers normally provide the oxygen yeast needs to produce those compounds, but olive oil contains fatty acids of its own. The concept of using tiny amounts of olive oil during fermentation has actually been explored by brewers before.

And Athletic and Graza have taken that obscure bit of brewing science and turned it into an actual beer.

Athletic Cold Off The Press is a less than 0.5% ABV Non-Alcoholic Pils brewed with Graza extra virgin olive oil. And despite what its unusual ingredient might suggest, this beer thankfully doesn’t taste like someone accidentally oiled your beer, which would definitely impact its “mouthfeel.”

The brewery describes Cold Off The Press as bright and smooth, with floral, herbal and lemon aromas followed by a clean, dry finish. The olive oil is used during the brewing process rather than as an obvious flavoring ingredient, so the finished beer isn’t oily or olive-forward.

Which probably comes as a relief, unless you were intending to pour the beer on your salad.

(Courtesy Athletic Brewing)

The collaboration also makes more sense when you consider the two companies involved. Athletic Brewing is a segment leader that has built its considerable reputation by successfully dismantling the historical stigma surrounding non-alcoholic beverages

Graza has also built a devoted following around Spanish extra virgin olive oil packaged in those instantly recognizable squeeze bottles that just make things easier.

And Cold Off The Press brings those two worlds together in a decidedly unlikely way. “Cold pressed” is commonly associated with olive oil production, while “cold off the press” gives the phrase a beer-friendly twist.

The limited-release beer became available in six-packs of 12-ounce cans through Athletic Brewing on September 23 and will be around only while supplies last.

###

And while we’re at it, there’s this…

What the Hell Is a Cask Ale?

What the Hell Is A California Common Beer?

What the Hell Is An English Strong Ale?